


The Thrill of Danger

by TheBroadwayCult



Category: Don't Stop Me - Malloy/Knight
Genre: Angst, Canon Divergence, F/M, I’m so sorry Roger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:55:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29368878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBroadwayCult/pseuds/TheBroadwayCult
Summary: “Who do you think is going to win?” Dakota approached the DJ booth.“My bets placed on you,” the DJ did not look up from his elaborate set-up.“You think me and my boyfriend will win?”“I didn’t say that.”
Relationships: Dakota Scott/The DJ (Don’t Stop Me), Roger Dickson/Dakota Scott
Kudos: 2





	The Thrill of Danger

The dance-a-thon had yet to start, and the contestants wandered around the gymnasium talking and introducing themselves on the webcam.

Dakota was flattered when Roger invited her to the school dance, and she had dressed up for the occasion. They had not been on the same wavelength lately, and it was clear that they were both hoping this night would change it.

She had lost Roger in the crowd of students, so she took this opportunity to introduce herself to the man she assumed was running the dance.

“Who do you think is going to win?” Dakota approached the DJ booth.

“My bets placed on you,” the DJ did not look up from his elaborate set-up.

“You think me and my boyfriend will win?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Dakota paused. “I’m Dakota by the way. I’m in college.”

“Good luck, Dakota,” the DJ looked up from his equipment and winked.

——

The embarrassment from being live-streamed at a high school dance, even though Roger kept insisting it was called a dance-a-thon, was subdued by the buzz in her body from the substances a pair of sophomores had snuck in.

“Can you please hold my hand? We should show people that we’re in love,” Roger asked without trying to sound as if he were pleading and reached out to take Dakota’s hand. 

Dakota silently accepted the hand-holding as the contestants waited for the first heat to begin. She smiled at Roger, but she could see in his eyes that he was disappointed they were not voted the current favorites.

The streaming LED screen lit up at the end of the countdown.

“Medieval Masque?”

The first heat seemed to finish in the blink of an eye. Everything had gone smoothly until the sprint siren went off. Seconds had blurred together and the dancing felt mechanical until the siren sounded again.

A pair of twins who had dropped to the ground were dragged out of the room by a group of workers who seemed to be with the DJ.

“What’s wrong with them?” Dakota was concerned. Even if she did not want her university friends to see her dancing with a bunch of kids, it worried her to see such energetic students collapse suddenly.

“Maybe they couldn’t take it? I think so.” Roger tried to reason, but it was an odd situation.

“But– one minute I’ll find out.” She rushed over to the DJ booth, where the DJ was acting as if nothing had happened. “What’s going to happen to them?”

“I think you know.”

Dakota felt Roger, who must have followed her, press his hand against the small of her back. “Roger, is the DJ fucking with me? Are you fucking with me? Are they going to be okay?”

“Dakota this is being live-streamed, you shouldn’t swear.”

She rolled her eyes at both of the guys and walked off.

——

In the next historical heat, the contestants found themselves dancing in the Jazz Age Prohibition Era.

Punch was provided for the students to take freely. Most of the contestants, including Dakota, were helping themselves to the refreshments. It was not until a few minutes into the heat that suspicions began to rise.

“Everyone,” Roger tried to gain the attention of the dancing students, “don’t drink the punch! I think someone spiked it.”

“Roger,” Dakota put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him close, and she dropped her voice into a seductive tone, “who cares? Let’s dance like everyone else.”

Roger took a step back. “We could all get in trouble-“

“Well I wouldn’t, I’m not a student,” Dakota took a sip from the cup she held in her free hand.

“You and I should be setting an example,” Roger took the cup Dakota was holding.

“Okay Mr. Sixteen Hundred,” Dakota rolled her eyes and tried to grab the cup back, but Roger was too tall.

“Fifteen Ninety, you know I missed a question!” He shot back defensively.

“Roger, Sweetheart,” Dakota took a step toward him, “If I have to hear about that fucking question one more time, I’m going to shoot myself.” She mimicked shooting herself in the head with her now empty hand.

Dakota was shoved into Roger when one of the sophomores she was talking to earlier knocked into her. She watched as the two stumbled around, clearly intoxicated.

The DJ strolled onto the dance floor, holding two large bottles of liquor with no labels. “No need to panic. I’m just giving our friends a little more of what they desire.”

Everyone watched in complete shock as the two sophomores began mechanically drinking until they collapsed just as the twins did.

“We need to stay back,” Roger held Dakota close as other contestants ran toward both the DJ and the motionless sophomores.

“What are we going to do?” Dakota watched as every student who tried to help or reach the DJ was blown back, seeming to kill them instantly. “I’ll be right back.”

“You can’t be serious,” Roger tried to stop Dakota from walking away. “That’s a death sentence. We need to find a way out.”

“That’s what I’m doing.” She rushed off in the direction of the DJ booth before Roger could stop her, for she knew he would not risk getting close.

“What are you doing over here?” The DJ wore the same stoic expression he had out on the dance floor.

“Why aren’t you blasting me back right now?” Dakota asked with her arms crossed.

“If someone has to win, who says I can’t play favorites?” A smirk appeared on his face. 

“Earlier you implied you thought I would win without Roger. What did you mean by that?”

“I think you know exactly what I meant, dear.” He looked directly at Dakota and then across the room where Roger was standing anxiously.

Dakota knew it was dangerous to stand near the DJ. She knew innocent high schoolers had likely just been killed. Yet this was the most alive she had felt in a long time. Since she had been with Roger, at least.

“I’m granting you all a break right now. Why don’t you run back to your boyfriend?”

“Right. I’ll be back to talk to you.” She took a step from the booth when she felt her face heating up.

“I’m sure you will.”

——

“Come on, Dakota. We should introduce ourselves.”

“Introduce ourselves? Okay. Okay,” Dakota nodded.

“Are you okay?”

She could feel the DJ’s eyes on her from the other side of the gymnasium. “Couldn’t be better, apart from the obvious.”

“We’re going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you,” Roger took her hand.

The simple gesture that would have caused Dakota to smile now stirred no emotion inside of her. “Okay. Let’s go.”

The two approached the webcam hand in hand, and they were directed into the correct position. “I’m eighteen. And he’s sixteen.” Dakota began their introductions.

Roger smiled sheepishly. “That’s not exactly my most defining feature-“

“At what point is it considered statutory rape?”

“Dakota!”

“It’s not like we’ve done anything! He won’t even-“

“Okay I think that’s enough, thank you.” Roger pulled Dakota away from the camera. “What the heck was that?”

“What do you mean?” Dakota crossed her arms.

The buzzer sounding the beginning of the next heat rang out.

“I said I love you right after you said it. All I’m asking is a little more time, is that too much to ask for?”

“A little more time? It’s now or never. How can you keep pushing this off when there’s plenty of other people who wouldn’t make me wait.”

“But–“

“Whatever. We need to dance.” Dakota grabbed Roger’s hand to drag him back to the dance floor.

“No, we’re having an important relationship conversation right now.”

“Okay, fine. Do you want to know what I think? I just think we’re in different places in our lives and–“

“But nothing has changed!” Roger frowned. “Are you saying you want to break up?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Do you?”

“Wild West Square Dance Hoedown,” the other remaining contestants read aloud.

Roger and Dakota began dancing with the other students, but their conversation continued.

“Do you think we’re no longer compatible?” Roger asked.

“I never said that. I think we’re in different places in our lives,” Dakota tried to explain, but even she did not know how to express what she was feeling at the moment.

“Because I’m in high school and you’re in college?”

“Exactly.”

“So you want to break up.” He stated quietly.

“I… I don’t know.” She replied in the same sad tone, but she knew that her answer only implied what they both feared.

“What do you need from me?”

“I need you to make a decision.”

“About sex?”

“No. About everything.” She wished he would hurry up and make the decision for the both of them.

The two continued dancing, and even throughout the argument, all Dakota could focus on was the DJ’s eyes on her and the ridiculous smirk plastered on his handsome face. It made her blood boil, but Roger never made her feel like that and she wanted more.

“This isn’t sustainable.” She broke the silence within their argument.

“Dakota, are you breaking up with me?”

“I don’t know! Do you want to break up?”

“I don’t know either. Do you?”

“Do you?”

“Do you?”

_“Enough!”_

“What are you doing?” Dakota looked toward the DJ, who looked annoyed. 

Everybody immediately stopped dancing and turned their attention to the DJ.

“We’re going to try something different. An old fashioned duel.”

“What?” Roger and Dakota spoke at the same time.

“I’m afraid there’s no time for explanations. We’ve come to a sprint,” the DJ hit the siren beginning the sprint. “Take your guns.” He shoved two pistols in each of their directions.

“I’m not taking it,” Dakota refused as Roger hesitantly took his. 

“You have to take it,” the DJ replied.

“I won’t. I can’t.”

“If you don’t take it, then I’ll have to shoot you. And I don’t want to do that, doll,” he winked.

Dakota yanked the gun out of the DJ’s hands. “I don’t even know how to fire a gun.”

The DJ wordlessly put his hands over Dakota’s and guided her into turning off the safety and cocking the gun. “Now all you need to do is pull the trigger.” He walked away from the pair. “On the count of three, you’re going to turn around and fire. The winner gets to keep going and the loser gets, well, shot.”

“Dakota, I’m not going to shoot you,” Roger shouted from the opposite side of the gymnasium with shaking hands.

“Neither am I.” Dakota replied while trying to concentrate on what was happening around her.

_“Three.”_

“I need to tell you something,” Roger confessed.

_”Now?”_

“Yes, I–“ He paused. “I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you. You are my everything.”

“You think your poetry is going to help our current situation? You’re only sixteen years old, what do you know about true love? What if you wake up one day and realize you never loved me like a real man?”

“How could anything other than true love feel this way? But right now? I’m _afraid_ ,” he forced himself to admit.

_“Two.”_

“You don’t have to be! You could make me feel like a real woman! I want to feel alive!” She yelled out as the two were forced to point their guns forward.

“I understand that, but this is all too much for me. I’m not ready!”

“I’m ready enough for the both of us, if you would just trust me,” She spoke, frustrated. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

_”One.”_

She felt her body forcing itself to turn around and she squeezed her eyes shut. Dakota knew she could not bear to look at Roger or the DJ, and she said she would not shoot Roger. She knew he would never shoot her.

Only in the darkness was she able to think clearly. Dakota loved Roger. That much was clear. But everything was different, no matter how much he tried to argue otherwise. Ever since she had gone off to college, she realized how different the real world and adults were compared to the high schoolers she surrounded herself at Plain Springs.

Returning to her old high school forced her to realize how bored she was. Her relationship had fallen into a routine, and she craved more. She needed something more than Roger could give her, and deep down she knew that, but could not admit it. The fear of being alone crept up on her every time she began to doubt, and she stayed. She knew how happy he was with her, how could she not be happy too? No one had ever filled her with the desire for adventure, until tonight. The thrill of danger and countless lines being crossed made Dakota feel something she had never felt before. But that problem was, Roger was not the cause of this feeling. It was the DJ. She did not even know his name, yet she yearned for more of this new sensation. 

She needed to make a decision. But she could not. She had always relied on Roger, and he was always on top of making difficult decisions, but this was too big for the both of them. Neither of them could be happy if things remained the same. But it was too late for that. She needed to make a decision. Her finger remained over the trigger, and she let her subconscious take over.

_BANG_

The thunderous noise of a pistol made Dakota’s eyes fly open. “I- Roger I’m okay!” She smiled and looked across the room to the tall boy. “Roger?”

Roger’s gun had fallen to the floor and his hand was gripped over the middle of his chest. Dakota did not realize what had happened until he dropped to his knees.

Dakota dropped her gun and rushed across the gymnasium and kneeled beside him. “Roger? Let me see,” She pried his hand away from his chest. “Oh god.”

“I didn’t want you to see,” he whispered, trying to catch his breath.

“No, no you’re going to be okay. I- I didn’t mean to,” She choked out. “Tell me you’re going to be okay.”

He collapsed further onto the ground, and she pulled his head onto her lap. Roger coughed harshly, causing drops of blood to drip from his lips. “It got on your dress.”

“It’s just a dress,” she smiled weakly as her vision became blurry from the hot tears glossing over her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

“Promise me you’ll win. You need to win.” His breath hitched and he looked up at her.

She nodded quickly, her tears rolling off her face and falling onto his skin. “We’re still going to win.” Dakota knew it was not possible, but she loved him, and her entire world felt as if it was crumbling around her.

Dakota waited for Roger to respond but when she looked back down at him, his eyes began to shut. “No no no, Roger please look at me.” She cupped his face with her hands but got no response. “I love you,” her words were barely audible as she sobbed over his lifeless body.

It was not long before the DJ’s henchmen came to retrieve Roger’s body. “Don’t touch him!” She cried and clung to him.

But they ripped his body from her grip, leaving Dakota sitting in the middle of the gymnasium with a tear-stained face and blood-stained dress.

A loud buzzer announcing the sprint was over made her jump.

“You made the right decision,” The DJ appeared next to her and held out a hand to help her stand.

Dakota accepted his hand and pulled herself up to her feet. “He didn’t have to fucking die!” She stood face to face with the DJ, but his neutral expression did not change.

“I have a dance-a-thon to run, and the rules were very clear,” The DJ responded as a student tried running toward him, only to be thrown back. “I told you my bets were placed on you. Go sit in my booth before I change my mind.”

Dakota was taken back by what he said. Everyone’s eyes were on her, but she knew it did not matter what they thought of what she was doing. She was an adult. An adult who was fully capable of making her own decisions without the judgment of high schoolers.

“Okay.”

——

Dakota stared at the corsage adorned on her wrist. She sniffled, but instead of more tears, she was overcome by emptiness. The events around her seemed to disappear as she ran her thumb along one of the white petals which were now stained with droplets of blood.

“I can’t believe she would shoot him… I guess college changes people.”

“I don’t think she meant to.”

“You wouldn’t shoot me, would you?”

“Why is the DJ helping her anyway? That’s not fair, I want special attention too.” 

Dakota looked up to see a group of three students talking about what had just happened. They noticed her looking at them and the two girls shot her a glare and walked off, but the boy gave her a sympathetic glance before joining his friends.

“You’ll be safe in here from the next heats,” The DJ approached his booth.

“Why are you keeping me in here? Don’t I have to compete?” She sadly looked back down at her corsage.

“You need a partner to compete. You don’t want to be seen at a high school dance all alone, do you?”

“What are you going to do next?” Dakota leaned forward on the stool she was sitting on.

“Where’s the fun without the element of surprise?” The DJ smirked.

He grabbed her wrist and her breath hitched from the unexpected action. He studied the corsage wrapped around her wrist before removing it. She watched as the DJ twirled the flower in his hands, but she could only focus on how his fingers had wrapped around her skin.

“You won’t be needing this anymore.” He walked away with the corsage in his hand.

She wanted to stop him but the buzzer beginning the next heat.

“Ancient Roman Bacchanal?”

Dakota felt powerless as she watched the few remaining contestants act as if they were brainwashed. They slowly closed in on a girl, while another pleaded for everyone to stop. She wondered if she and Roger would have been apart of the frenzy if they had made it that far.

The DJ took a break from watching the show unfold and returned to the booth.

“Why is that girl protecting her? She seems like such a bitch.” Dakota was annoyed that someone would defend such a self-centered person.

“It’s approval she craves,” The DJ looked out at them. “Both of them.”

“Are they going to die?” She stood from her seat.

“What do you think?” The DJ turned his head to face Dakota, causing their faces to be only inches apart.

“I’d say the thrill of not knowing is driving me insane,” she replied and moved in to close the space in between them, but was stopped when the DJ grabbed her face with one hand and tilted her chin upward to face him. 

“I have something important to do first.”

Dakota watched as the DJ went back on the dance floor. She hardly paid attention to the contestants until she heard a bloodcurdling scream as the students began physically tearing two other contestants apart. 

She felt bile rise in her throat, and she forced herself to not vomit at the sight of mangled limbs and guts being thrown about. Eventually, the air horn ending the heat sounded.

Each of the remaining contestants came to, and Dakota watched in horror as they realized what they had done. She tried her best to eavesdrop on a conversation but did not dare to stray from the DJ’s booth.

When the DJ returned, he rested a hand on Dakota’s shoulder. “We’re only one round away from our winners picking The Prize.”

“I’m not able to win?” Dakota did not care if she would win, but she needed to know what was going to happen to her after the dance-a-thon.

“Only active participants are eligible to win.”

Dakota narrowed her eyes. “Have you done this before?”

“This isn’t my first dance-a-thon if that’s what you’re asking.”

“This isn’t your first _no survivors_ dance? Then what are we doing? Did you have me kill my boyfriend only to kill me later too?”

The DJ frowned. “I promised you safety. I’m enthralled by your presence. Is that a crime?”

“Murdering innocent students is.”

“That doesn’t seem to be a dealbreaker for you.”

Dakota had to bite her tongue to stop herself from replying with a snarky comment. “You’re not giving me any reason to believe I made the right choice.”

The DJ responded by tugging her close and pressing his lips against hers. She practically threw her arms around his shoulders as she deepened the kiss. The entire time she thought of how Roger would have pulled away immediately, and after a few more breathless moments they pulled apart.

“Why’d you stop?” She asked, feeling hypnotized by his touch.

“The fifth heat is about to begin,” The DJ walked back to the dance floor as the buzzer starting the countdown rang out.

The gymnasium went dark.

One more heat until the winners would be announced. The DJ did not explicitly say that, but it was heavily implied, _right_? Dakota knew that meant someone else had to die.

The DJ had allowed her to get close to him even when everyone else was trying to take him down, and he even whisked her away to safety. It had to have been for a reason. Dakota used the last ounce of hope within her to believe he would listen to her. Staying hidden within the shadows, she snuck away from the booth.

She jumped at the sound of a boy wailing in pain in the middle of the room. She looked behind the chair where the DJ was standing with a satisfied grin.

“One more time,” he told the student strapped into the electric chair.

Dakota took a deep, yet shaky breath. She knew this was her chance. But before she could build up the courage to approach the DJ, the sound of electricity and the scent of burnt flesh filled the atmosphere.

The lights in the gymnasium switched back on, and the air horn ending the heat could be heard.

The remaining couple was a girl and her partner.

“Congratulations, you won. Wooo.” The DJ congratulated the two in a monotone tone.

“It’s over?” Dakota stepped toward the middle of the room after the DJ’s henchmen dragged the remaining bodies away.

“I thought I told you to stay off the dance floor,” the DJ walked over to Dakota and placed his hands on her shoulders.

Dakota placed a hand on the DJ’s chest. “I know, but now that it’s over I…”

“It’s not over just yet,” the DJ turned to the winners, “it’s time to choose your prize.”

They refused.

“The competition is over. You have to pick a prize,” he insisted.

They refused.

Dakota felt a pit of anxiety grow in her stomach as the DJ and the students argued back and forth. “You guys need to pick a prize so we can leave!” She pleaded.

But they refused.

“What are we going to do if they don’t pick a prize?” Dakota became increasingly worried.

The DJ caressed her cheek. “They have to. Don’t worry.”

Dakota looked around the room, deciding to trust the DJ and wait. She noticed a boy’s legs sticking out from under the DJ booth, pulling at different wires.

She wanted to warn the DJ, but he already noticed. “Hey-!” He was stunned.

“What’s wrong?” Dakota teared up and looked at the two winners. “Why won’t you two pick a prize!”

They ignored her.

The lights flickered and the sound of shocks filled the room.

“You won! You have to play! Pick your prize!” The DJ’s voice bellowed in the empty room. “Stop that!”

Dakota rushed back to the DJ booth but suddenly sparks flew into the air and everything went silent. The boy under the booth stopped moving.

She whirled around and saw the winners rushing out of the gymnasium. The door was open.

The DJ laid motionless on the ground, and Dakota rushed over, kneeling beside him. “Please wake up!” She shook his shoulder. “You’re supposed to love me! This can’t all be for nothing!” 

She covered her mouth and sobbed, a broken cry escaping her lips. “Roger, please come back. I’m sorry.”

Dakota stood to her feet and looked to the door. She let out a shaky exhale and approached the door but stopped when she heard a crunch underneath her heel.

Her corsage.

She picked up the corsage with shaking hands and slid it back onto her wrist. Dakota took one last look at the DJ then made her way out of the gymnasium.


End file.
